One of the most useful parts of Carrier’s book is his bibliography, which appears in small parts at the end of each section. And since Carrier’s book covers almost every subject matter you could think of in relation to naturalism, this means that his bibliography is a treasure trove of resources on almost every subject you could want to learn about!

Below, I have reproduced Richard’s bibliography as it appears throughout his book – except now, each resources is hyperlinked directly to that resource! Also, the original bibliography only had resources up to 2005, so Carrier will be sending me updates. According to him “a ton of superb new books have come out since in almost every area.” So this page will be updated… “into infinity, and beyond!”

Please note that I have generally linked to the latest edition of a given text, as older editions are often out of print. For many books this shouldn’t cause problems, but for anthologies be sure to check that the latest edition contains the articles you want to read.

For more discussion, see my critical reviews of similar arguments by Michael Rea and Victor Reppert. Note that I reject outright Plantinga’s gratuitous claim that “proper” function is necessary for warrant. To the contrary, any truth-finding function that is functioning will suffice. The word “proper” has no business in any formulation of the criteria for warrant.

II.3.2. The Method of Reason

See chapter II.2, as well as III.5.4, “Abstract Objects,” III.6, “The Nature of Mind,” and III.9, “The Nature of Reason.” See also the bibliographies concluding section III.5.5, “Reductionism,” as well as II.3.3 and II.3.4. To learn something of logic and mathematics, any college-level textbook will do. A good one to start with, which touches on everything, is Ronald Straszkow and Robert Bradshaw, The Mathematical Palette (1991); another excellent introduction, relating math to reason, is Edward Burger & Michael Starbird, The Heart of Mathematics: An Invitation to Effective Thinking (2000). On the underlying philosophy of logic (what logic is and why); Susan Haack, Philosophy of Logics (1978).

II.3.9. Final Remarks on Method

For more on the inadequacy of faith against reason, and on the proper use of logic and science, see the “Faith and Reason” section on the Secular Web. Also interesting is a short but apt discussion by Herbert Feigl in “Naturalism and Humanism,” American Quarterly 2 (1949), pp.135-48; the relevant part is reproduced on pp.59-67 of James Gould’s Classical Philosophical Questions, 8th ed. (1994). See also the bibliography concluding II.2.2.8, “Naturally Warranted Belief.”

III.5.3. Physical Laws

For a general survey of all that science has discovered about the universe, see Nigel Calder, Magic Universe: The Oxford Guide to Modern Science (2003), which will provide you will sources to pursue every realm of study, from both Classical and Quantum Mechanics, to Relativity and Chaos or Complexity theory.

Most importantly, Ian Stewart proves with abundant examples in What Shape is a Snowflake? (2001), as Michael Resnik does with rigorous philosophical argument in Mathematics as a Science of Patterns (1997), that all of mathematics is simply a human language that describes the real shapes and patterns of matter-energy in space-time.

IV.1.2.5. The Argument from Evidence

There are plausible natural explanations of an apparent resurrection. The four most prominent are the survival theory, the mistake theory, the conspiracy theory, and the bodysnatching theory. I present the best case for the possibility of a mistake or a theft in “The Burial of Jesus in Light of Jewish Law” and “The Plausibility of Theft.” Both in Jeffrey Jay Lowder and Robert Price, eds., The Empty Tomb: Jesus Beyond the Grave.

But this is not the most plausible natural explanation of the origin of Christianity. That would be the theory that there was no physical resurrection, but that Christ was seen risen in visions, as Paul reports, while the stories in the Gospels are the accumulated result of exaggeration, symbolism, and doctrinal and legendary development, over two or more generations. I present the case for this in “The Spiritual Body of Christ and the Legend of the Empty Tomb,” also in the same anthology cited above.

IV.2.7. Anything Defended with Such Absurdities Must be False

For more on this last point, see Antony Flew, “Theology & Falsification: A Golden Jubilee Celebration,” Philosophy Now October/November 2000, pp. 28-29. On the many natural, nonrational causes of religious feelings and beliefs, see bibliographies concluding the preface to IV.1, “Not Much Place for the Paranormal,” and after III.10.4, “The Nature of Spirituality.”

V.2. Morality in Metaphysical Naturalism

For views very similar but not always identical to mine, which nevertheless complement what I say here with even more rigorous analyses, see: Richard Boyd, “How to Be a Moral Realist,” Moral Discourse and Practice: Some Philosophical Approaches (1997), pp. 105-35, plus a further list of relevant works on moral realism, ibid. p. 106; also Peter Railton, “Moral Realism,” MDAP, pp. 137-6.

V.2.2.2. Human Nature

This has been aptly defended by Boyd, who articulates a moral thorough defense of the use of ‘natural kinds’ within naturalism (MDAP, p. 111, 115-18), even though no doctrine of essentialism is necessary to the concept of human nature. See also Paul Ehrlich, Human Nature: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect (2002) and Steven Pinker, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (2002), both of whom address many other important issues we have touched on before (e.g. III.4, “The Fixed Universe and Freedom of the Will,” and V.1.2.3, “Selfish Genes and Selfish Memes”).

VII.5.5. A Commitment to Defense

On the nature and important of war, and how to conduct it, there are several classic works that ought to be required reading for anyone who wants to understand the subject: Sun Tzu, The Art of War (c. 270 B.C.); Niccolo Machiavelli, The Art of War (c. 1520); and Karl Von Clausewitz, On War (1832). Related to the issue of military leadership is Oren Harari, The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell (2002).

VII.5.6. A Commitment to Secularism

These are just some of the issues surrounding church-state separation. There is a lot one could learn about it, and a good place to start is the Secular Web’s library on the “Separation of Church and State.”

What a great source of even greater books. I especially like the part that deals with the nature of spirituality and the meaning of life. Tom Clark has created a very good source on naturalistic spirituality. (http://www.naturalism.org/spiritua.htm)

There one can find many links, books and persons dealing with a naturalistic spirituality that is fully compatible with a naturalistic worldview.